“Jack you was out, you was done” – Isiah Thomas reveals saving Stephen Jackson’s NBA career
Isiah Thomas, who notably served as the president of the NBA Players Association during his career, stayed incredibly connected to the game after he retired. As he revealed during a recent episode of "All The Smoke," he even went to bat for Stephen Jackson long after he had retired.
After both Ron Artest and Jackson were involved in the infamous "Malice at the Palace" brawl, Jackson was involved in another incident in 2006. By this time, he had already served his 30-game suspension from the brawl in 2004.
As the story goes, the Pacers forward was out with teammates at a club when things went south. According to reports, Jackson was punched by a club-goer, before then being struck by a car, resulting in him firing several shots from a firearm. A week after the incident, he was charged with felony criminal recklessness and several misdemeanor battery and disorderly conduct charges.
As a result of the club incident, Jackson faced a mandatory suspension from the league. But behind the scenes, there was more at play. According to Jackson and Isiah Thomas, he was pretty much out of the league. As Thomas reminded Jackson, it was he who went to NBA commissioner David Stern to plead Jackson's case.
"Remember that call you made to me?" Thomas said. "And I called the commissioner up. Jack, you was out. You was done. You was done. ... I called David Stern. I said, 'You can't do that to him.' You was out. You was gone. That's how you got back in the league."
When Stak’s NBA career was on the line, who came to the rescue?
None other than @isiahthomas.
Don’t miss Part 2 of our interview with Zeke on our YouTube 💨 https://t.co/ykj39uWPvN
You can listen his comments in the video above.
Stephen Jackson reflects on being out of the league before Isiah Thomas stepped in
When Jackson was handed the seven-game suspension, he accepted responsibility for the situation. Although he was facing uncertainty regarding his career, he knew that he had made a mistake.
As he was quoted at the time, he was looking to put the situation behind him.
"I accept the suspension, believe it is fair and definitely look forward to having this entire process come to a conclusion in November," Jackson said. "Additionally, I apologize to my teammates, our fans, our ownership and the NBA for the negativity this has created and the poor example that I set."
(Suggested Reading: Isiah Thomas responds to Michael Jordan calling him an a**hole)
By the time the statement was released, Jackson had already been traded to the Golden State Warriors, with whom he served his seven-game suspension.
As he recalled on "All The Smoke," he did everything he possibly could to make sure that he hadn't ruined his NBA career.
"I remember it vividly now, because I was, s**t, I was trying to call everybody that I figured would help me at that time," Jackson said. "And Al saved me. Al saved me. ... Isiah saved me, but Al saved me. You know what I mean? Isiah saved me, but Al connected me to you. ... I was done. I went home already."
After Isiah Thomas met with David Stern, Jackson continued to play for 10 more seasons.
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